Spokane Valley fire roundup: Smoke from attached garage caused by resident ‘doing burnouts’

There have been plenty of fires for crews of the Spokane Valley Fire Department to respond to recently, but there also are usually quite a few reports of smoke or building fire alarms that turn out to be false.

One of those recent calls had an unexpected twist. A neighbor reported a possible fire in the 1700 block of North Felts Road at 9:49 p.m. on Sept. 1. The caller said there was smoke coming from a garage that was attached to a home. When crews arrived, they found a large crowd of people, many with beers in their hand, said department spokeswoman Julie Happy. The people were yelling at the crews to leave. The property owner also was uncooperative but did tell crews he was “doing burnouts” and had no intention of stopping, Happy said. Since there was no fire, crews left the area. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office was notified about the large crowd. A burn ban is still in effect, and crews have still been responding to numerous backyard fires that are illegal under the current ban. The status of the burn ban can be checked online at

spokanevalleyfire.com

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Other calls Aug. 31 to Sept. 6

Aug. 31: Someone reported seeing smoke in the field in the area of Eastern Road and Dickey Street at 2:44 p.m. When a crew approached, they spotted a group of kids burning wood in a fire pit. The kids quickly put the fire out and rode away on bicycles. Firefighters fully extinguished the smoldering fire. Sept. 1: A small fire was reported near the railroad tracks along Trent Avenue near Harvard Road at 1:29 a.m. The fire was about 15 feet by 30 feet when crews arrived, burning in grass. The fire was put out. A sheriff’s deputy called at 1:53 p.m. to report an illegal fire in the backyard of a home in the 12100 block of East Fairview Avenue and no one answering their knocks on the door. A crew arrived to put out the fire. Sept. 2: Crews were called to a potential hazardous material call near Arc and Tschirley Road at 9:40 a.m. The homeowner reported finding a 55-gallon barrel, labeled “kerosene,” that appeared to be partly full. The crew attempted to help the homeowner find a way to dispose of the barrel and its contents. A vehicle fire was reported in the 13500 block of East Sprague Avenue at 6:14 p.m. Bystanders said the vehicle was almost completely engulfed in flame. Crews cut the hood of the car to gain access to the engine compartment to put out the fire. A motorcycle rider was injured in an accident off westbound Interstate 90 near the Millwood exit at 8:43 p.m. A tourniquet was applied to the rider’s leg before he was taken to a local hospital. Sept. 4: A possible illegal fire was reported in the area of Ella and Center roads at 10:25 p.m. An extinguished fire was found in a backyard fire pit when crews arrived. The residents were informed of the current burn ban. Sept. 6: An overturned car caught fire on the eastbound I-90 Argonne Road off ramp at 9:20 p.m. The Sheriff’s Office was on scene when crews arrived. Bystanders reported that two people in the car when it crashed had run away before emergency responders arrived. Crews put out the fire in the car’s passenger compartment. An illegal fire was discovered in the 2000 block of South Fawn Drive at 11:56 p.m. The resident was advised about the burn ban, and the fire was put out. By the numbers: Crews responded to 343 calls the week of Aug. 31 to Sept. 6, including 283 calls for emergency medical services. Other calls included 13 car crashes, two small children accidentally locked inside a vehicle, bad odors that couldn’t be located or identified and a shower leak that sent water into another apartment. Nina Culver can be reached at nculver47@gmail.com.

There have been plenty of fires for crews of the Spokane Valley Fire Department to respond to recently, but there also are usually quite a few reports of smoke or building fire alarms that turn out to be false. One of those recent calls had an unexpected twist.

A neighbor reported a possible fire in the 1700 block of North Felts Road at 9:49 p.m. on Sept. 1. The caller said there was smoke coming from a garage that was attached to a home. When crews arrived, they found a large crowd of people, many with beers in their hand, said department spokeswoman Julie Happy.

The people were yelling at the crews to leave. The property owner also was uncooperative but did tell crews he was “doing burnouts” and had no intention of stopping, Happy said. Since there was no fire, crews left the area. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office was notified about the large crowd.

A burn ban is still in effect, and crews have still been responding to numerous backyard fires that are illegal under the current ban. The status of the burn ban can be checked online at spokanevalleyfire.com.

Other calls Aug. 31 to Sept. 6

Aug. 31: Someone reported seeing smoke in the field in the area of Eastern Road and Dickey Street at 2:44 p.m. When a crew approached, they spotted a group of kids burning wood in a fire pit. The kids quickly put the fire out and rode away on bicycles. Firefighters fully extinguished the smoldering fire.

Sept. 1: A small fire was reported near the railroad tracks along Trent Avenue near Harvard Road at 1:29 a.m. The fire was about 15 feet by 30 feet when crews arrived, burning in grass. The fire was put out. A sheriff’s deputy called at 1:53 p.m. to report an illegal fire in the backyard of a home in the 12100 block of East Fairview Avenue and no one answering their knocks on the door. A crew arrived to put out the fire.

Sept. 2: Crews were called to a potential hazardous material call near Arc and Tschirley Road at 9:40 a.m. The homeowner reported finding a 55-gallon barrel, labeled “kerosene,” that appeared to be partly full. The crew attempted to help the homeowner find a way to dispose of the barrel and its contents. A vehicle fire was reported in the 13500 block of East Sprague Avenue at 6:14 p.m. Bystanders said the vehicle was almost completely engulfed in flame. Crews cut the hood of the car to gain access to the engine compartment to put out the fire. A motorcycle rider was injured in an accident off westbound Interstate 90 near the Millwood exit at 8:43 p.m. A tourniquet was applied to the rider’s leg before he was taken to a local hospital.

Sept. 4: A possible illegal fire was reported in the area of Ella and Center roads at 10:25 p.m. An extinguished fire was found in a backyard fire pit when crews arrived. The residents were informed of the current burn ban.

Sept. 6: An overturned car caught fire on the eastbound I-90 Argonne Road off ramp at 9:20 p.m. The Sheriff’s Office was on scene when crews arrived. Bystanders reported that two people in the car when it crashed had run away before emergency responders arrived. Crews put out the fire in the car’s passenger compartment. An illegal fire was discovered in the 2000 block of South Fawn Drive at 11:56 p.m. The resident was advised about the burn ban, and the fire was put out.

By the numbers: Crews responded to 343 calls the week of Aug. 31 to Sept. 6, including 283 calls for emergency medical services. Other calls included 13 car crashes, two small children accidentally locked inside a vehicle, bad odors that couldn’t be located or identified and a shower leak that sent water into another apartment.